“Success is no accident. It is hard work, perseverance, learning, studying, sacrifice, and, most of all, love of what you are doing or learning to do.” –Pele

Polly Binuag was teenager when she recruited to work as a babysitter in the Franciscan Missionaries of Mary orphanage in Manila.
In 1989, after 14 years of taking care children from newborn babies up to sixyear olds, Sister Marietta, the orphanage superior, sent Polly to Michigan, in the United States, to work for the family of Dr. Jamora, the nun’s brother.
“I was chosen [to go to Michigan] over the other babysitter [in the orphanage] because I knew how to cook, do gardening work, and other household chores,” Polly recalls.
Polly received $200 per month while working in Michigan and after six years, when her employer failed to give her a salary increase and a green card, as allegedly promised, she wanted to go back to the Philippines.
But after realizing she had five poor brothers and sisters back home in Ifugao relying for her support, Polly changed her mind.

New Jersey
“Tumakas ako papuntang (I fled going to) New Jersey to work with a Filipino family,” she narrated.
Polly’s first employer allegedly kept her passport and refused give it back to her since her arrival, resulting in her leaving Michigan without proper documentation.
In New Jersey, Polly was forced to call the first employer in Michigan and ask for apology in exchange for her passport.
“Luckily, my [first] employer sent my passport by mail and was not anymore angry at me,” she stressed.
With her second employer, Polly became homesick and claimed she “wasn’t anymore happy.”
With the help of a friend, Polly landed her third employer in Virginia, her “new home” for 13 years.
“I have been working in the United States for about 30 years now and I am proud to say, even if I have not enough money, I was able to help my family in Ifugao,” Polly explained.

Help
She was able to help some of her nephews, nieces, grandchildren, and great grandchildren finish their studies.
“One of them is now a permanent employee in our town as an electrical engineer, the other is a nurse in Saudi Arabia, the other is an accountant in Hong Kong, and one is a criminology graduate,” Polly revealed. “My heart is happy and I feel a sense of fulfillment inside.”
Polly says she is proud of her sacrifices and accomplishments in the United States.
“This is the life that God wanted me to live,” she hissed. “It’s God’s blessing why I am here in the United States.”
Polly grew up without remembering her mother’s face, who died when she was three.
“Because we had no camera at that time, we have no photo or any family album.” she lamented. “I have no idea how my mother looked like.”
Polly said she admired her father, who died in 1989 because he “showed his love for us, his children, and he never remarried after our mother died.”
“My advice to the young generation is they should not lose hope amid difficulties,” Polly concluded. “They should always ask God’s help so they can survive – if my tiaga may ilalaga.”
She plans to come home “for good” in six to seven years./WDJ